“We came here to reiterate our rejection of the U.S. decision on Jerusalem,” Khidr Habib, a senior member of Islamic Jihad group, told the rally.

“Jerusalem will always remain the capital of Palestine,” he said, going on to call on the Palestinians to close ranks to “confront all challenges facing the Palestinian cause”.

Mohieddin Abu Daqqa, the head of the local As-Saiqa NGO, for his part, called on the Palestinians to “maintain their anger against the U.S. decision on Jerusalem.”

On Dec. 6, U.S. President Donald Trump recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, triggering a world outcry and protests across the Palestinian territories. Since then, at least 19 Palestinians have been martyred in clashes with Israeli forces in the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza Strip.

Jerusalem remains at the heart of the Israel-Palestine conflict, with Palestinians hoping that East Jerusalem -- occupied by Israel since 1967 -- might eventually serve as the capital of an independent Palestinian state.